THAT ONE LITTLE THING
by sage360
Summary: Adam is back, Thorne (early season 1) runs Genomax, and Brennen and Lexa have nothing in common-except a baby! Oh MY! Please Read and Review JL, BS Chapter Complete!
1. Default Chapter

That One Little Thing  
  
Disclaimer: M-X: Don't own them. Enjoy!  
  
This is a little something that I'm toying with. The idea has been floating in my brain for a while and it was just difficult to start. So let me know what you think.  
  
He could see how much they hated each other.  
  
Jesse Kilmartin bought his time between typing aimlessly into the computer and watching his teammates. The 'brother' he'd known for several years now, kept a thick silence between him and their new leader. The molecular sat up, seeing the woman purposely separate herself from the taller man. Her pale eyes rolled as she walked into the other room, speaking into the little phone that never left her side. Lexa's connections seemed to be the only thing separating her from the rest of them- or at least from Shalimar and Brennen. She was in Sancutary on a different objective then they, and knew more than she was willing to share. And while that unnerved the more 'rebellious' members of the team, Jesse found it intriguing to say the least -that and the fact that she was hot.  
  
"Temporary set-up my ass." Brennen muttered before moving to stand by the molecular. His dark form brooded with resentment for the woman. But Jesse knew it was shallow and only brushed it off.  
  
"Complaining are we," the blonde smirked as he turned from the screen. "She has been a good addition to the team. And she's saved your life a few times."  
  
"I'm not knockin' that. She's just nerve racking." The man replied under his breath.  
  
"Be patient, you just need to get used to each other." Jesse added before pushing a hand through his growing locks.  
  
"You're playing cheering section." The elemental's face contorted into a look between amusement and concern. "How close have you two gotten?"  
  
Jesse purposely didn't answer. His mind however flooded with the few conversations they'd shared and the easiness she showed around him more so than the others. The woman was a vortex of secrets and former lives, and those elements conjured onto that wall she so constantly kept erected. But for Jesse, walls weren't a problem at all. "Let me show you what I've found." He purposely pulled the darker man's attention back to the screen. Brennen hid the slight smile on his face and complied. "It looks like Genomax in being revamped."  
  
"No way, Jess. Who would actually restart that place, and who would run it now that Eckhart's dead?"  
  
"My guess is Dominique. She is the one who still has secrets about genetic testing. She does have the resources."  
  
"You're both wrong." The men turned to see Lexa enter followed by an interested Shalimar. The women moved to the other side of the table. "An old friend of yours, Brennen. From just before you joined Mutant X."  
  
"And, who would that be, Lex?" His sarcasm filled the area with that all too known thickness.  
  
"Thorne." Shalimar interjected. "The guy who tried to force you to work for Genomax. (Season one, Shock of the New, I Scream the Bloody Electric)."  
  
"He resurfaced a few months ago." The brunette added. "And he's now the new head of Genomax."  
  
"This sucks." Jesse said.  
  
"NO shit." Brennen added, crossing his large arms, in protest. "Thorne runs Genomax."  
  
"And he knows everything about the place." Shalimar added. "He was Mason's right hand for the longest. So what do we do?"  
  
"We wait."  
  
Every eye fell on Lexa as if she were crazy. But the woman only returned the gaze. "My contacts are working on it now. We'll know our direction soon."  
  
"Fuck you and your contacts." Brennen said just loud enough for them to hear. "Thorne is a telekinetic, and who knows what other out sourcing he's bringing on board."  
  
"Well, until we find out, we stay put."  
  
"Lex," Shalimar added. "Genomax could already be rounding up new Mutants for stasis. We at least need to do something. At least do a patrol from the Helix."  
  
"Okay," The slender brows rose in agreement. "But stay in the Helix and only till we get word from the Dominion."  
  
"Brennen and I will go up." Jesse added rising from his seat. "We'll check in till you get word."  
  
"Alright." Lex added. "Shal and I will keep tabs on things from here."  
  
"Sounds exciting." The blonde exhaled before walking off, followed by a smirking elemental. Jesse could only grin at the two. Secrets weren't kept so easily in the Rock. 


	2. Chapter2

That One Little Thing  
  
Disclaimer: M-X, Don't own them. Enjoy!  
  
Brennnen Mulray was far more complicated than he projected to be. After nearly three years, Jesse knew this to be a solid fact. The ego he projected only covered the good guy surviving the rough days of his youth. Now, the man was in a desperate search for peace, in his mind and in the world. No doubt the forced battles with Lexa were not helping him. "So, what do you think it is?"  
  
Brennen looked up form the controls, obviously pulled from his thoughts. "What?"  
  
"This 'new' Genomax." Jesse replied with gesturing fingers. "What do you think they're working on?"  
  
The elemental pushed a hand through his short hair, while dark eyes focused onto the screen. "I don't know, but my gut tells me its' bad."  
  
"Same here."  
  
"Eckhart may have been the super brain, but Thorne,,," the man's voice drifted at the thought of his former adversary. The last time he him, the man was running from an electric charge with his name on it. "Thorne is devious. He knows what he does and enjoys it. That bastard's up to no good."  
  
"You and Emma got to know him pretty well, huh." The words spilled from Jesse's lips before he could stop. Any mention of their former teammate seemed to cast a shadow on Brennen. They had been family long before Mutant X ever came into the picture. "Sorry."  
  
"For what, Jess? Her name isn't taboo or anything. I'm just glad she isn't around, now I can deal with that bastard like I should have."  
  
Jesse's brow contorted in question. "What stopped you?"  
  
That look on the darker man's face said it all. His smile spread too easily and the danger almost glowed from him. "Shalimar."  
  
"Ah, you too first met then. "  
  
"Yep. She was a fox."  
  
The men sat back joking about their earlier days. This was how it was for them. Two brothers finally bonded after enduring so much. It carried them over the endless skies of the city, keeping them ready for what was out there.  
  
"You've done well." The older man said, as he circled the laboratory in patient steps. His hands folded behind him in study of the machinery. "How long do we have to wait?"  
  
"Another twenty-four hours."  
  
Thorne looked up at his scientist. The man though a junkie to his work, felt the weight of reality on his shoulders. His brunette head begged to hang in realization. "God will never forgive me for this." He said under his breath. The words were nothing new to his lips.  
  
"I want to be notified when the time is up, doctor." Thorne placed a hand on the sapphire glass, and peered in. Between the functional beeps and humming of the computers around him, he could see the movement inside. "You come and let me know personally, then we complete our deal."  
  
"Twenty-four hours." He repeated again.  
  
Thorne walked to the door, before turning. "I'll leave you to your work. You are a genius, Adam."  
  
The man's head rose, guilt lined the aging of his face in torment. "Twenty-four hours." Dr. Kane in his heart begged for forgiveness, from God, and more importantly from his 'children'. They would never handle what was waiting for them. After Thorne left, he walked back over to the chamber, checking the status of his 'subject'. In his heart, there was time. Twenty-four hours would be enough to make it right.  
  
"Are you guys there?" Lexa buzzed over the COMM link. Jesse watched as Brennen's eyes rolled.  
  
"We're here, Lex. What's up?"  
  
"We got something. " her voice held a shakiness never heard by either one of them.  
  
"Is someone crying?" Brennen asked, straining his ear to the sounds of the COMM system. "What's happening over there?"  
  
"We got a message from someone inside Genomax."  
  
"A distress signal." Jesse added.  
  
"Who is it?" Brennen continued. Now he did recognize the sniffling. "Shal?" he whispered, though loud enough for Jesse to hear. "Lex, what's going on?"  
  
"The signal was from Adam." She replied, her hand gripping that of the shaking feral.  
  
"Genomax had Adam's ring, remember?" The elemental interrupted. "It's how they lured us out after Naxcon."  
  
"No." She replied. "It was Adam who sent the signal. He used one of his secure channels.  
  
"So, he's inside Genomax." Brennen snorted. No fuckin' surprise there." Shalimar's heightened sniffling made him resent his words.  
  
"He's being held there." The feral managed in a broken tone. "They've had him all along."  
  
"You two have to go in and get him." Lexa said.  
  
"We're on it." Jesse replied.  
  
"No way." Brennen interrupted.  
  
"Brennen, you have to." Shalimar nearly begged.  
  
"Shal, I'm sorry. He's been there this long, supposedly against his will and sends out a signal now. If it wasn't Adam, I could believe it. But he's too resourceful."  
  
"Brennen, think about this." The molecular said, before turning to him.  
  
"Oh, I've thought about this every night for the past few months. Every time that Shalimar broke down or you got drunk over Emma. Every time I stepped in that Lab, thinking Adam was there. It was easy for us to believe he survived, because there's no way he would let himself die in that explosion- and he should have."  
  
"Don't say that." Shalimar pleaded.  
  
"Tell that to Emma." The man snapped. "His ass can rot in that place. Let go of him just the way he let go of her."  
  
"I'll put it this way." Lexa interjected. "You two have been ordered to go in and get him out by the Dominion. His message told us you have less than twenty-four hours. You don't have a choice, Brennen."  
  
"Like I give a damn."  
  
"Brennen." Jesse said after cutting the link so the girls wouldn't hear. "Do this for Shalimar." Immediately, his face softened at the mention of her name. Jesse knew his 'brother' would walk through hell for her. "She needs the closure. Give her that much."  
  
"Alright." He replied. "Get Lex to download us the info. We'll bust into Genomax-again."  
  
In the safety of his lab, Adam smiled. His steps carried him over to the generator, a large hand pressing gently onto the glass. "They're coming." He grinned into the window. "Soon, everything will be alright."  
  
Inside, a small hand opened and closed aimlessly, intrigued by the action of it's own fingers. The older man smiled as he walked away. There wasn't much time to get ready at all. 


	3. chapter 3

That One Little Thing  
  
Disclaimer: M-X, Don't own them. Enjoy!  
  
Thorne had wondered back into the lab, and glanced into the generator. Adam Kane was indeed a genius, he thought to himself. The disbelief of his theories now sat corrected in front of the man's slate blue eyes. Amazing, he mouthed to himself. Even when working for Eckhart, he'd never managed to comprehend just how much Adam meant to this whole 'development'. Now he was a believer.  
  
As for Adam's children, the man had never given much thought to all but two of them. Now, one was dead. The other would join her soon. "Mulray." He said, his mouth contorting in a sour fashion. "Part two is coming soon."  
  
This place was definitely not the Genomax they remembered. Now, several hours later, the two men (in their signature M-X black) crawled the halls of this vast new building. The cavernous space was a lengthy darkness of steel and glass, blue and grey only lit sparsely by warm lights glowing from machinery and illuminating offices. Jesse had pulled into a corner checking his hand held computer for their next direction. His stomach was stable and sick all at once, anxious and not yet ready to come face to face with his ghosts- or at least one of them.  
  
Brennen kept watch as the man guided them along the halls. This obviously wouldn't be the new Geenomax building. The place was more stationary and almost had triage written all over it. Triage, he thought. So that's how they did it. They took Adam from the triage tents- or he went willingly. Either way, the want for that answer soon had him following Jesse into the corridors.  
  
The molecular halted him at the edge of a corner that sat adjacent to the vast windows of a huge laboratory. And for the first time in almost two years, their eyes fell on those dreaded pods used to hold and study mutants. Jesse swallowed hard as he searched the area, till Brennen tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
The blonde looked up, as the elemental only a long finger towards the far right area. There, under the solemn gold of an area light, Adam stood working on a large computer. Brennen could feel his jaw stiffen while Jesse felt liked he'd been punched in the chest. The older man went to and from quickly, like he was expecting visitors and cautiously placed things in their respective areas. It didn't go unnoticed that always returned to a nearby generator of sorts, to look in. Jesse's eyes widened with disbelief. "Brennen, he's wearing a governor."  
  
The taller man relaxed into his pose, having already seen the contraption. "I know."  
  
"We should go." Jesse replied in a high whisper. "I'll have the cameras deactivated,,," the man's fingers flipped quickly over the small computer. "Now. I gave them an hour long run of the area. But that's all I could get us."  
  
Brennen pushed past his teammate and led them over to the large area. "That's all we need."  
  
In that time it took to get into the lab, Adam was securing the information he'd developed and researched. He'd need it for later. His mind was deep in the recognition of his codes, double checking everything it's safety.  
  
"Same old Adam. No one knows anything but you." The older man turned around, shocked at the sight before him.  
  
"Brennen."  
  
"You expected the Easter Bunny?" he said flatly. Adam knew he wouldn't make any move of endearment. That day at Naxcon had shattered Brennen's trust for him-that much he could see. "You're wearing a governor?"  
  
"They developed it for humans as well." He watched as the elemental moved forward to disengage the item. Soon, it pulled easily from his neck. "Thank you."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Where are the others?"  
  
"I'm here Adam." The older man turned and instinctively hugged his 'son'. Jesse returned the embrace unsure and needy all in the same gesture. "We don't have much time." The molecular replied, pulling away.  
  
"Shalimar?" Adam asked with a strange neediness.  
  
"At Sanctuary. She was too shaken up." Jesse replied. "Adam, we should go."  
  
"Not yet." The older man answered. "We're taking one more person."  
  
"No way, Adam." Brennen snapped. "We came for you ant that's it."  
  
The older man ran towards the generator, knowing the time was almost up. "We can't leave her, she's just a child."  
  
"What? Whose kid?" The two men followed him, running along the piping of the large machine only to freeze in their places.  
  
The door to the room sat open as two agents stood by. Thorne, now in protective medical wear reached in, pulling out a small bundle from its nest.  
  
"No!" Adam yelled, moving towards the group. "Don't touch her!"  
  
"Adam, you've done your part." Thorne grinned. "It's a miracle on modern science-"  
  
His words faltered at the two men standing behind the doctor. One, he knew all too well. "Mulray."  
  
"Thorne." Brennen could feel thee evil drifting into his spine. The bundle in his adversary's arms squirmed more and more till a loud shriek came from it. His eyes exchanged disbelieving looks with Jesse. Adam still stepped forward.  
  
"She's a beautiful baby, Adam. No doubt a powerful mutant."  
  
"Thorne, give her to me."  
  
"Her parents." He continued. "Are an elemental and a chromatic molecular. Both strong specimens of their classification, if I do say so."  
  
"Thorne," Brennen said stepping forward. A current formed in his hands. For a second, the new leader of Genomax had a flashback of their last battle, but his secrets kept him holding onto the bundle in his arms. Brennen saw him quickly glance between his currents and the baby he held.  
  
"I understand Ms. Pierce now works for you, Adam." The man grinned. "She's quite a piece of work."  
  
"Give the child to me!" Adam demanded again.  
  
Thorne broke a cold smile at the group, unaware of what was going on a round him. "No."  
  
Before he could move, Jesse had phased through the machinery behind him and busted Thorne in the back. The next moment, he phased through the man's body, catching the child in a solidified arm. With the baby in tow, he ducked forward, allowing Brennen to cast a streak of lightning towards the guards. Both men flew into the machinery.  
Brennen charged again, ready to hit Thorne when sirens blasted from the speakers. In a last attempt, he hit the piping over the man, letting it fall. It wouldn't be enough to kill him, but now they could escape.  
  
Jesse handed the baby to Adam, who led them back towards the office. "Get that bag!" The man yelled. "It has everything we'll need. Soon the three were again running the corridors of Genomax, as they'd done so many times before. Adam prayed that they'd make it back to Sanctuary, for himself and thee child in his arms. 


	4. chapter 4

That One Little Thing  
  
Disclaimer: M-X, Don't own them. Enjoy!  
  
Shalimar couldn't stop crying.  
  
In the arms of her true 'father', she broke down in the most surprising manner. Her sobs filled the cavernous halls, causing the others to keep momentary distance from her and Adam. And as weary as thee older man was, he would never let go off his daughter.  
  
"I am so sorry, for all your pain." Adam whispered before kissing the top of her head. Shalimar shook uncontrollably in his arms, unable to do anything else. Brennen stood by cross-armed at the scene. The idea of Shalimar hurt cut through so that he could have strangled Adam. But when she pulled back, and wiped her eyes, almost grinning through the tousled blonde strands, his heart could have flipped. Adam let her go so she could move to Brennen, hugging him nearly as hard as she did Adam. The large man folded her into his arms silently.  
  
"Thank you, Brennen." She managed. "Thank you for bringing him back."  
  
"Anything, for you, Fox." He smirked. But you're gonna pay for ruining my shirt."  
  
Jesse watched while standing near Lexa. Obviously noticing her pale eyes constantly glancing at the sleeping bundle in his arms. The baby was a heartbreaker, he thought. No doubt she was gonna be a stunner when she grew up. Lexa's uneasiness amused him. Just like Brennen, kids weren't her cup of tea.  
  
"Let me run some tests on the child, then we'll talk." Adam managed as he took the child. But they all followed him into the lab, ready for answers.  
  
"Thorne said her parents were elemental and molecular." Jesse reminded the man (as if he didn't know). Will she have both mutancies?"  
  
"It's too soon to tell, but I don't doubt it."  
  
"So you cloned her for Genomax." Brennen sneered, still keeping the sobering Shalimar under his arm. "How did that get started?"  
  
"Well, when they kidnapped me from the tents at Naxcon, Eckhart had scientist working on it. But Thorne was already behind the scenes when you killed him. He took over, held me hostage till I finished the work."  
  
"The parents, do they know about the child?" Jesse added.  
  
"No, but they will soon." Adam paused obviously deciding whether or not to speak on the next thoughts in his mind. "Thorne purposely chose the two people whom Genomax developed this embryo from."  
  
"Sounds like he didn't have the best intentions." Lexa smirked.  
  
"He didn't."  
  
"Well, Lex." Brennen nearly grinned. "Guess that means you time here is up. Adam's back so you can go-where ever the hell you came from."  
  
"Whatever." Thee woman snapped.  
  
"She's not going anywhere." Adam interrupted. "She can't go."  
  
"Why the hell not?" The elemental snapped.  
  
"Stop it." Shalimar whispered.  
  
"Because," Adam exhaled after turning from the screen. "This is her child."  
  
"Oh shit!" Brennen snapped. Jesse and Shalimar exchanged the strangest looks.  
  
"No fuckin' way." She snorted. "After all the testing they did on me, I don't think I can have kids."  
  
"What they did," Adam said, moving towards her. "Was develop the embryo from your and the father's DNA. She very much so is yours."  
  
"Lexa's kid." Brennen muttered. "Poor things lost the race before it's started."  
  
"I wouldn't do that Brennen." Adam returned. "Remember, Thorne chose the DNA of two people for a particular reason."  
  
"And what's that?"  
  
"Revenge." Adam stated. "I'm sorry. But this child is Lexa's,,,and yours."  
  
"WHAT!" Brennen yelled, causing the baby to scream.  
  
"No fuckin' way." Lexa walked off, shaking her hands at the whole situation. "No fuckin' way do I have a kid with that prick."  
  
"Adam," Shalimar stepped forward, not wanting to hear what was going on. "Are you sure? Brennen and Lexa have a kid together."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"This team's Brennen and Lexa!" Jesse interrupted. "Brennen and Lexa of Mutant X! This team!"  
  
"Yes, Jesse." The older man replied, before picking up the child. "This little girl is theirs."  
  
Brennen didn't move, he couldn't. The squirming little bundle in Adam's arms was his daughter. His and Lexa Pierce's. Oh Shit seemed to run rampant in his head. "I,,,I need a drink." He stumbled out of the room, having to hold on the wall for support. "I sure as hell need a drink." 


	5. chapter 5

That One Little Thing  
  
Disclaimer: M-X, Don't Own them, Enjoy!  
  
Thanks for all the patience, you guys! I PROMISE! Clublights will be continued soon, I just needed to work on something new. I'm glad you all are enjoying this piece so take care, HAPPY NEW YEAR! And don't party too hard!  
  
Lexa lay one her bed, tossing like an animal from restlessness. She had a baby, with Brennen, of all people. The only things she'd every called baby were the designer shoes lining her walk-in closet. She didn't even like kids, they were messy loud, and if any thing a reminder of why having sex was not a good thing. And she never wanted to be reminded of that.  
  
After glancing her clock for the millionth time (and seeing all of only five minutes gone by) the woman pulled from her bed, dawned the long blue kimono she loved so much and went wondering through Sanctuary. This had become habit since she no longer could step out of her downtown high rise and walk the city-that she missed terribly.  
  
What could I do? She wondered. Door by door passed her by. Shalimar's room, she thought. No way! Then Jesse's, which actually made her stop and remember that he'd checked on her earlier, and said if she needed anything to wake him. I want to wake you now! She smirked to herself. Things would be easier if this were his child; the idea would be almost bearable. Playing 'house' with a man who could stay 'hard' would easily move up her list of things to do. Even so, Jesse was the closest thing she had to a confidant or even a friend in this rock. No, she thought, Sparky had to go and start shit with Thorne. It's like he planned to ruin my life before we even met!  
  
Her steps absently carried her through the dojo and to the one place her mind wanted to avoid, the Lab. Even on his first day, Adam was a sleep on a med-bed, so to keep an eye on the newborn. Lexa leaned on the door, watching silently. In all the chaos, no one had bothered to ask her connection to him, or Thorne. She liked it that way.  
  
After adjusting the quilt over her 'mentor', her lungs filled with air, preparing the brunette for the one thing she had to do. Lexa Pierce, for the first time, truly looked at her daughter.  
  
Jesse had retrieved the basinet and other supplies from a safe house earlier that day, and some how taken on the role of caring for the child -till her parents got it together. Lexa bent over, watching the child squirm and yawn, with tiny fists balling up only to reopen. The little head showed virginal strands of midnight brown hair, eventually daring to curl at the ends. She couldn't tell if that was from her or Brennen. When his head wasn't that blow-dried shock he called hair, it would seen curly at times. The child's nose was his though, and even with that thought, Lexa smiled at the cuteness of it on her daughter's face. But the eyes, she thought, those are mine. And in fact, they were. Orbs of the palest shade of blue glistened under the curly lashes. The brunette even admitted that the chubby cheeks were signature Sparky (she could always tell when someone use to have baby fat). Finally, lifting the small body into her arms, she sighed in defeat. This was definetly their child.  
  
It felt strange and natural all at once to hold her. "You don't even have a name." She whispered.  
  
"Amber."  
  
The woman looked up to see him in the doorway, jacket at his side and leaning against the threshold. Brennen stepped forward slowly; his eyes glancing form her to the baby and back. "If,,,that's alright with you."  
  
Lexa watched the face of the man, seeing the same nerves that had drowned her only moments before. His brown eyes were anxious and stable all at once, making the elemental look nearly frozen in the laboratory lights. "Amber," she whispered softly. "Amber Mulray?"  
  
"Do you have a problem with that?" Brennen asked, while crossing his arms.  
  
"No, I don't." It was strange to see Lexa smile. Even more so, it was nice. Brennen threw his jacket on a nearby table and stepped forward, looking at the small face in her arms. "Are we being civil now?"  
  
"For her." He replied. Large fingers brushed the child's transparent hair softly. "At least, till you get on my nerves again."  
  
"So noted."  
  
"Lex, you seem pretty 'calm' about this baby."  
  
The woman looked at Brennen with those pale eyes, the same that his daughter possessed with such innocence. "She was a creation of Genomax, just like me." Her face seemed almost sad at that, remembering what she endured. "Nothing like that will happen to her."  
  
"I promise you it won't." Brennen replied. This being nice thing was strange, in deed.  
  
"Well, as long as we're 'talking'," The smirking woman moved towards him slowly. "Do you want to hold your daughter?"  
  
"Me?"  
  
"No, not you, the Pope. Of course YOU!" His uneasiness was almost comical. Brennen looked at the child with this 'I know I'll drop her' look. His brows rose high, making him seem as if he already had. "You have to eventually."  
  
"I,,,may break it. HER! I may break her, drop her or something,,,,"  
  
"Brennen, pretend she's a football, just don't spike her." Lexa watched as he gave in, and then helped him adjust his arms before placing the child in her father's hold. His nerves raced for the moment and the tiny frame curved against his thick arms. "Now, just support her head,,," the woman whispered.  
  
In the midst of his tan limbs, Amber Mulray squirmed, taking in her surroundings. Brennen didn't realize he was grinning. "She's not crying- or wet!"  
  
"She knows who you are." Lexa replied, while moving towards Adam's desk.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Don't worry, I won't leave you by yourself. That kid would break you." The woman fumbled through the drawers, till she found a piece of paper and pen. "I'm writing down the name for Adam, so he can make a birth certificate." She scribbled the name, smirking to herself at one little adjustment. When she returned to Brennen's side, the child was antsy.  
  
"What is it?" he asked. The idea of running to Lexa whenever something happened with this kid now seemed inevitable.  
  
"She's getting hungry. I'll take her to the kitchen."  
  
"I can do it." They were both surprised by his admission. "You go on ahead. I'll be right there."  
  
The woman pulled back, watching him. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah,,,yeah, I'm sure."  
  
Lexa walked out the lab, casting them another quick glance before heading towards the kitchen. Brennen waited till he was sure she was gone. His steps were patient a he moved towards the desk. "Let's see just what you're mom wrote, huh?"  
  
On the piece of paper, in Lexa's meticulous handwriting, their child's name read smoothly before his eyes. "Amber Brianna Mulray." He smirked. The baby almost seemed to smile back at him. "I can live with that." 


	6. chapter 6

THAT ONE LITTLE THING  
  
By: Sage 360  
  
Brennen with a kid was strange to behold.  
  
And Shalimar Fox was tired of it.  
  
That first morning it was cute. Her mind, not believing Adam was back in the rock, was still processing that very fact. It had compelled her to jump out of bed, shower quickly. Pulling on her usual tight jeans and half there top, she headed out the door and right smack into Brennen.  
  
He was emerging from his own room, shirtless and in large sweat pants. The towel over his shoulder had been interrupting her view, till she realized why it was there. On the curve of his large shoulder, the baby lay sleeping.  
  
It actually wasn't too bad to look at. Him holding a kid just as cute as he was only made her heart flip. The fact that Lexa was the mother completely blew her high. Never the less, Brennen was a good father.  
  
She had walked with him to the lab, now only partially intent on seeing Adam. Her eyes watched the child breathing steadily in her rest. Shalimar had to admit she was cute, down right adorable. And even with all the tension between herself and Ms. Pierce, her growing maternal instincts seemed almost feral. But what got the blonde was the sight of them together. The little trio they now formed. Lexa, Brennen and Amber.  
  
The two, much to her dismay, even looked good together. This kid came from some amazing genes, Adam had seen to that. But the bonding scratched the feral's nerves. And as much as she tried, it wasn't in her to hate an innocent child -just the situation. Especially after that first time she held her.  
  
She had found Lexa sitting on the couch, holding the child, her whole ice-cold demeanor -gone. Shalimar sat on the edge of a near by chair not quite believing she was looking at Brennen's daughter. Her heart broke, knowing that she should have been the one with his child. But she could barely breathe around the man, let alone tell him how she felt. They knew something was there,,,but acting was such a hard thing.  
  
"Did you need something?" Lexa had asked for the second time. Shalimar just twiddled her thumbs, looking down.  
  
"Ah,,,no." Were does a women begin when someone she could so easily hate, shares the most precious thing with the man she loves? "She's cute."  
  
"I'm convinced she's all Brennen." Lexa smirked. "My cheeks were never that chubby."  
  
"She's a few days old. Her features are still coming in."  
  
"I know, but,,,I guess it's something internal, y'know?"  
  
Shalimar plopped down on the couch. Her feral side allowed her to know all too well. Thorne had planned this perfectly. Brennen with a child was one thing, but his kid amongst a group of people so close,,,Thorne knew of he and Shalimar, and more importantly of Lexa joining them. This 'gift' in their lives had been a set up from the very beginning.  
  
"Lex," the blonde's lips curled nearly deviously. "I know that you have the best intentions in mind for you daughter. And I also know that you and Jesse are closer that you admit."  
  
The woman looked up, pale eyes wide at the conversation she knew was coming. "Shalimar, I'm no threat to you and Brennen."  
  
"I know." Damn straight, she thought. "But that's not what I mean. How is he suppose to handle you having a child by his best friend?"  
  
"I didn't exactly have a choice in it. And it's not like we lay down and actually 'created' this baby. And if you want to know how he would take it, ask yourself how you are."  
  
Shalimar knew that wasn't meant to be harsh.  
  
"Shal, I know this creates the strangest situation. Brennen hates me."  
  
"NO," The feral almost questioned if she was lying. "No, he doesn't hate you. The whole situation with Adam and Emma, it's been difficult. You know that."  
  
"I know."  
  
"I know you'll take care with Jesse. He's being there for you, as much as he can be.  
  
"Shalimar," Lexa finally broke down. "Do you want to hold her?"  
  
The feral surprised herself by smiling at the thought. "I'd love to."  
  
Jesse typed away at the computer watching Adam in silence. Helping in the lab was all he could do to keep the happening s of the other day off his mind. Somehow, he knew that there was something not being said by the man -as always the case. Whenever he saw Brennen, or Lexa with that child, Adam's face would pale for a moment. Like he was being defeated by something. True enough the time at Genomax had done enough to his nerves, but this thing he covered almost seemed worse. Jesse was tired, he wanted answers.  
  
"So, Adam." The phrase as natural as it had been now felt so unknown. "How do Thorne and Lexa connect?"  
  
The older man lanced from his workings, watching Jesse with caution. He knew the molecular could be too smart for his own good sometimes. "Well, they did work at Genomax together. Thorne didn't give up much on their past, Lexa will do that in her own time."  
  
"What about you and Lexa, Adam?" how do you know her?"  
  
"What has she told you?"  
  
Jesse's brow rose in regard. Adam watched him now with serious study. The molecular knew he was on to something. "She was Mutant X 1.0, and she lived here for two years. She works for the Dominion, like you had us doing all along."  
  
"Well, she gave you a good start." The man replied before looking back at the screen. Jesse stood, picking up on of Amber's baby shirts, left from earlier that morning.  
  
"Adam, is Lexa your daughter?"  
  
"Jesse, you know I never had children." The man chuckled.  
  
"When, you and Emma were 'lost' at Naxcon, a lot of things came out about you. Things Eckhart proved right before Brennen killed him. Now, I played the optimist. I mean, Shalimar was a wreck and Brennen,,,let's just say he was Brennen. But you owe us answers, Adam. You know you do."  
  
The older man stood to face his 'son'. In the months since Naxcon, Kilmartin had become harder, something stronger than his physical massing could ever be. The eyes that stared at the doctor were reckless, nearly demanding. Jesse had grown into a darker person. "Jesse, Lexa is not my daughter. She is in the way that I consider Shalimar to be. We bonded that we long ago."  
  
"But Lex, left Mutant X to work for the GSA."  
  
"Once, they were one and the same. You know that."  
  
"Adam," Jesse interrupted. "She was here for two years. Considering how long Shalimar and I have been here, we would have noticed her around. She was a kid when she came here."  
  
"Two points." Adam smirked.  
  
"And she had a brother, Leo. Even she doesn't know I'm aware of that."  
  
"Jesse-"  
  
"Shalimar and I replaced them because of something that you won't speak on. She left because of something connected to you."  
  
Adam moved from behind the table, watching the young man. This person that Jesse Kilmartin now was has something he so partially possessed months ago -backbone. "Let her tell her own story, in her own time. As for Thorne, I need to get back to work."  
  
"Why do you look at that child like it's hopeless, Adam?"  
  
"SHIT! JESSE!" The man caught himself after yelling. His frame shook with tremors so that he rattled his desk. "Jesse," he tried again. "Thorne created her as a pawn for his revenge on Brennen."  
  
"And Lexa."  
  
"On them both." The man's face drained again at that. "Please, son. Let me work."  
  
The molecular's eyes widened at that. Adam, in an admission of weakness was never good. Quietly, the baby shirt in his hand fell to the floor. "How long, Adam?"  
  
"Jesse, please-"  
  
The molecular stormed forward, slamming his hands on the desk, his voice dangerously low. "You let us bring that child here, knowing they would get attached to her. You let them bond with her, knowing something they didn't."  
  
"The baby is innocent, Jesse-"  
  
"Fuck that! You let two people you consider your 'children' cling to something they have no control over! Thorne knew we would come for you, and you played along."  
  
"No-"  
  
"NO! No what!? You brought that child here, let my brother and the woman I love become attached to her and said nothing! Now, how long, Adam!"  
  
"Jesse!"  
  
"HOW LONG DOES THAT CHILD HAVE TO LIVE?!"  
  
Adam froze. His tired mind and heart pushed him, limply into a nearby chair. "I don't know."  
  
The molecular nearly phased from breathing so hard. His head pounded with realization and hurt. "What do you need to save her?"  
  
"I don't know yet. The embryo was developed so quickly, that we had little time to do thorough studies. But, I will find a way."  
  
"Damn straight you will."  
  
Adam looked up at the man moving to exit. "Are you going to tell them?"  
  
Jesse's eyes scanned the cavernous area known as Sanctuary. He could see Shalimar holding the little girl, and Lexa smiling. He knew Brennen would be back soon from where ever he was. "Before we came to get you," he started, still not looking towards Adam. "Brennen didn't want to find you. He said we should let go of you, the way you let go of Emma."  
  
"I tried-"  
  
"I know. Adam, you've saved our lives time and time again. And I know you meant to protect this child from Thorne. I won't say anything. At least not now."  
  
Adam exhaled loudly, his heart slowing in his chest. "Thank you, Jesse."  
  
"You better, save her." He finished. "Or else there'll be two deaths on your head." 


	7. chapter 7

THAT ONE LITTLE THING  
  
By: Sage 360  
  
Hello all! HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I hope everyone has a great 2004!  
  
Disclaimer: M-X, don't own them. Enjoy!  
  
He had watched them for a while since the blow up.  
  
Jesse Kilmartin watched, some how seeing what the others couldn't (a trait he thought passed on to him by Emma). In the shadows, he leaned against the threshold of a nearby doorway, arms crossed and observing. Shalimar and Lexa still sat with Amber, only now Brennen had come in and joined them. Jesse's eyes saw the attachment that he and Lexa shared for their daughter - and the jealousy Shalimar masked around him. It was the same as that in his heart.  
  
Damn you, Adam, he thought. You come back, the one thing Shalimar wanted, and you still manage to hurt her. The molecular wouldn't admit he was hurt as well. By the time he'd snapped from his thoughts, Shalimar and Brennen had left. He moved forward, finally wanting to speak.  
  
"I saw you." Lexa smirked as she placed the newborn in the car seat Brennen just brought them. "I'm sure Shalimar knew you were there as well."  
  
"She always does." He sat down, running a hand through his hair. "Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure, doesn't mean I have to answer." The molecular grinned at that. It was good to know the old Lexa was still in there. "What's up?"  
  
"Wanna tell me about you and Thorne?"  
  
"No," she exhaled. "But I will. We worked together at Genomax."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And," she continued. "He was an asshole. Whatever Eckhart thought of doing to New Mutants, he made happen." She rocked the car seat gently, watching her child with soft intent. "That's one sick bastard."  
  
"Are you surprised he's running Genomax now?" Jesse asked, while scooting closer in interest.  
  
"Nope. Not at all. Once Brennen offed Mason, I knew it was only a matter of time."  
  
"What does he have against you?"  
  
Lexa looked up, picking thee words she'd let escape. Jesse knew he wouldn't like what was about to be said. "He's the reason I have this plug in my neck." She didn't have to look to see the blue eyes blazing underneath their blonde lashes. "He made me one of the killing machines the GSA 'developed'." She added with emphasizing fingers. "Thorne directed my entire routine of treatment."  
  
"And you eventually retaliated?" Jesse interrupted. Somehow, his fingers had found their way into interlocking with hers.  
  
"Let me put it this way. If I had killed him, Brennen would have never seen the inside of Genomax right before he joined you. And that was months before you guys even thought of him and Emma."  
  
"Did he do something to you, Lex?"  
  
"No, not how you mean." She smirked back. "I just got tired of being his puppet. And as with anything that man makes-"  
  
"It eventually rises up against him."  
  
"Smart man." She grinned. "I knew you weren't all blonde hair and muscles."  
  
"Jokes," Jesse grinned. Right then, he knew he couldn't tell her what he knew. She deserved every moment she got with her child. She needed them. And telling Sparky would be dangerous, he thought. He'd kill Adam before the man could find a way to save Amber -if he could at all. "I got work to do, you need anything?"  
  
Lexa's eyes seemed to dance right then. And for once the molecular questioned what lay behind them. "Nope. Just glad you like hanging around women with kids."  
  
"What can I say, I'm great that way."  
  
The brunette watched as he walked off towards the lab. Yeah, she thought. You most certainly are."  
  
"How long are you gonna work on that?" Shalimar asked. She watched Brennen fidget with the new crib he'd just bought. She wanted to rip it to shreds.  
  
"I'm almost done," he exhaled, while moving to stand over it. "Why, do you miss me?"  
  
Hardly." She grinned.  
  
"Then, I'm doing something wrong." The elemental eyed her before finally standing back from his work. "Let me put this in Lex's room, then I'll be done."  
  
"You're not keeping thee baby in here?" Shalimar caught herself almost sounding happy.  
  
"No, she's better off with Lexa or Adam. At least I'm across the hall." He pushed the rolling contraption into the hallway, then towards his teammates room. When he came back, Shalimar still hadn't moved from the edge of his bed. Brennen purposely sat too close to her, grinning all the while. "What's on your mind?"  
  
"You and Lex getting along," she smirked. "Seems out of place."  
  
"I was thinking that too." He frowned before lying back on the dark comforter. "But it's not like she has an agenda. We have to do what's right."  
  
"For your daughter." Shalimar interrupted while still sitting up. She couldn't turn and see him stretched out like that. His weight on the mattress alone was making her dizzy. "Do you really trust her?"  
  
"Yeah,,,"Brennen replied while pulling at her hair. "Yeah, I do. And that phrase 'my daughter' still doesn't sound real, y'know?" Curly ends of the gold highlights slipped easily through his fingers. He watched as the feral stayed locked in her position. The low rise of her jeans offered the slightest peek of a blue g-string. His brow rose evilly at that. But it was her body language that had him. Shalimar was never a stiff or unyielding person. Brennen could even see the tenseness in her shoulders, and that worried him.  
  
Again she was quiet, only to jump at the rush of arms wrapping around her from behind. Brennen rested his chin on her shoulder as large hands entangled over hers. Shalimar could hear her heart in her ears. "You're too quiet." He whispered. The very sound of his voice unsettled her nerves. "What's going on in that head?"  
  
"Something's not right, about this whole thing." She whispered. And something was too right about being in his arms. Shit, she thought at the realization she was losing control. My nerves are going,,,going.  
  
"Shalimar?" he asked again.  
  
GONE! The blonde turned in his hold, pushing the man back as their lips connected. Both minds screamed 'finally' at the moment, while arms interlaced around the other's body.  
  
"Uhmm,,,Okay." Brennen managed before rolling on top of her. Manicured nails pulled at his shirt, forcing it over his head. "Whatever you want."  
  
"I want you." She whispered, finally relaxing into him. "Just you."  
  
The man grinned, before slowing his actions. He and Shalimar together had been pretty high on his list of thing s to accomplish. Now, as they undressed each other slowly, he mentally drew a line through that thought. Hands and fingers introduced over the contrasting landscaped of their bodies, eager to learn all new paths and directions being offered. Shalimar exhaled against his neck, basking in the heat of his warm frame. Brennen was all she ever wanted.  
  
The rest of the day was theirs, lost to the sweet highs of their lovemaking. Every tease, touch and scratch embedding the most perfect moment onto their minds. Skin seemed to taste sweeter and nerves became so hypersensitive as they drowned in each other. Secretly, Shalimar smiled to herself. 


	8. chapter 8

THAT ONE LITTLE THING  
  
BY: Sage 360  
  
Jesse felt it his place to watch Adam.  
  
Now, after tirelessly keeping both eyes on the man, he found himself in the dojo. It wasn't in him to go and change out of his jeans. Instead, the molecular kicked off his shoes and shirt, unveiling a surprisingly thick composition of muscle and tan skin. He sat on the floor, drowning in his thoughts. Lexa. Adam. Brennen. Shalimar.  
  
Amber.  
  
He was never tired of being disgusted at the fact that people still found it 'okay' to try and play God. Hadn't they just finished a mission where Shalimar and Brennen almost died for those reasons (Hand of God, Season three)? The man reached forward, stretching his long arms towards some invisible point in space. How could he weigh his options, he thought. On one side, there was Shalimar and actually Lexa. Shal got hurt if she actually found out what both he and Adam knew. And Lexa lost her baby along with that. And she had said she didn't know if she could have children after her nightmare at Genomax. "Damn you, Thorne." He muttered before standing to stretch again. "And damn you, Adam."  
  
Brennen was another matter all together. Out of protection for Shalimar, and even Lexa, he would initiate that 'round two' he and Thorne owed each other. It was amazing how so many independent strings had come together to weave their tapestry.  
  
Now Jesse was a flash of moves, lost in the practice martial arts. His shoulder length hair was a flash of dirty blonde. How do I deal with Adam, he thought, his father of sorts. He still didn't know he and Lexa connected, and that made his nerves itch. Now, his motions were a procession of slow meditative moves. Blue eyes blazed at the war in his head. Without saying, his heart was torn in so many ways: loyalty, friendship, and family.  
  
Love.  
  
Still, the fact that his 'brother' had a child with the woman he 'wanted' stung. Few timed, he'd actually felt what it was like to be shot, and this one took the cake. He couldn't be mad because it wasn't their fault. And they would deal only how they knew best. Jesse finally collapsed onto the floor, his eyes wide as they drifted towards the spacious skylights of Sanctuary. His heart prayed for something good to come of the moment. Maybe God knew what he needed to do. "After all," the molecular admitted. "We all could use your help."  
  
Brennen woke to a rush of gold falling over his shoulder. The reality that Shalimar lay beside him spread quicker that the smile on his face. The small frame curled beside him, locking a soft leg between his. His fingers swam in the blonde silk while she breathed against him so steadily. Curves pushed into his side softly, bringing on those initial light-headed feelings. All he could do was smile.  
  
In the aftermath of their first encounter, still his mind drifted to his daughter. He hadn't missed the look that struck Shalimar's face that day in the laboratory. And it hadn't gone unnoticed that she seemed genuinely hurt whenever he was with Lexa. She couldn't help what she felt. But the flashes of jealousy, while helping his ego, weren't good. He knew she could be protective, and until several hours ago their bond was only forged of friendship and desire. The man knew when it came down to it, Shalimar would be there for all of them-no matter how it hurt her. And that still didn't make it right.  
  
Her body, curling closer to his broke his thoughts. Brennen pulled the covers over them, before kissing the curve of her forehead. "I won't let you get hurt," he whispered. "I promise."  
  
"ADAM!!!"  
  
The scream bolted them both from their sleep, piecing the once still air of the room. Brennen jumped from the bed, snatching on his jeans as he rushed towards the door. Shalimar followed behind him, gathering herself in a sheet as well.  
  
His hands flung the door open, finding Lexa kneeling in the hallway, her dark hair cascading over the child in her arms. The corner of his eye caught an opened- shirt Jesse and the older man running towards them.  
  
"Lex," Brennen whispered while crouching beside her. The unsettling sight of tears on her face made his stomach drop. "Lex-"  
  
"She's not breathing,,," the woman managed. Brennen pulled back the hair to see his daughter pale, a soft blue forming around her lips. God! NO! He thought."  
  
"Adam, do something!" she yelled again. "Do something! Please!"  
  
"Give her to me!" The doctor took the tiny form and made a b-line for the laboratory, leaving a crumpled mother and her teammates frozen in the hallway. God, help me, he thought. God, please help me!  
  
"You have to pull yourself up." Shalimar whispered, holding onto the woman's shoulders. "She'll be okay." Lexa Pierce was a frozen slump of muscle, trembling at the very touch of anyone. Her brown hair fell around her, and tears rained from her eyes. "Lex-"  
  
"Shal," Brennen interjected. "You and Jess go on to the lab. I'll bring her with me." The feral watched the larger man, whose nerves were now shaking in his own eyes. She stood, adjusting the hold of the sheet around her. "You sure?"  
  
"Yes," he replied a little too quickly. "Just get dressed and go."  
  
Jesse's look told her it was the right thing to do. With that he followed the feral towards her room.  
  
"Lex," Brennen whispered while wrapping his arms around the woman. "Lexa, she'll be alright. But you have to get up and come with me."  
  
"I was just watching her," Slender lips stumbled. "And she,, she gave out. She started turning blue." The elemental wrapped his arms around the slender shoulders. "And she was so cold,,,"  
  
"I know," he replied in a now shaking voice. "But we have to go be with her. Adam will take care of her." But he saw it wasn't in the woman to move. In desperation, the elemental pulled her from the floor. Placing a long arm around her waist, they began a desperate walk towards the lab. "You have to stick with me, Lex." He whispered. "Amber would want you to." The brunette leaned against him weakly, sobbing before her head fell on his shoulder. Them walking was all Brennen could do to keep from breaking. "Stay with me,,," he whispered to his child's mother. Inside, he was praying the same words for his daughter as well. 


	9. chapter 9

That One Little Thing  
  
By: Sage360  
  
All she could see was the little stomach, with the little tubes running in and out. Adam had hooked the child up to several monitors and put her in an incubation unit. Her little heart was trying all it could to keep on.  
  
Several hours later, they were in their same places. Adam running to and from in the lab, with Jesse assisting him on the computers. Shalimar stood cross-armed at the door watching Brennen, who sat by his daughter's side. The child's tiny hand sat wrapped around his pinkie finger.  
  
Lexa still could not enter the room.  
  
Through the blue laboratory glass, she watched as nothing changed. This one thing, this one moment had become the most enduring nightmare of her life. If she could remember anything, it was the one time Jesse told her that one day, her walls would crumble, and she'd no longer be able to block her emotions. From anything or anyone. Damn, she thought. He's a fuckin' know it all.  
  
The brunette finally managed to turn from the glass, and exhaustedly made her way to the nearest couch. In the short hours since Amber stopped breathing, fatigue found it choice to take advantage of her body. Exhausted, she curled up on the tan cushions, but found herself too tired to sleep. It would take everything in her to walk back towards the lab, and look at her daughter. At that moment, that was something she couldn't take.  
  
"Lex,,,," Her head lifted at the sound of his voice. And though their eyes didn't connect, she could feel his closeness. Her hand pulled from the underside of her face to reach for his, and connected easily with his fingers. In that instant, he moved beside the woman, and lifted her head so she could rest in his lap. Strong fingers busied themselves between rubbing her exposed arm and stroking the dark strands.  
  
Jesse Kilmartin watched her silently, finding tragic how in that moment, she allowed herself to be weak with him. His blue eyes glowed through the falling streaks of his own hair, and his mind could find nothing to say. His heart was breaking for her, and Brennen.  
  
"I can't look at her." She finally whispered. Jesse blinked back from his thoughts, making sure he'd actually heard her voice. "I'm terrible for that."  
  
"No, you're not. Give yourself a little time to rest. Brennen won't leaver her till you are ready."  
  
Lexa looked up into the face above her. The blue eyes smiled, along with the similar gesture playing on the curves off his lips. Jesse had never seemed more beautiful than at that moment. If the strength had been in her, she would have reached up to stroke his face. Settling for his hold, right then, was enough. "How long has it been?"  
  
"Going on,,," The molecular's face turned toward his raised wrist in a gesture that made those locks fall into his eyes. "Three hours now."  
  
"And Adam?"  
  
"He's trying." The woman found herself staring at the cold granite of the wall across from them. It allowed her to focus on the feel of him. "He will find a way, Lex."  
  
She didn't miss the distinct note in his voice. Jesse knew something she didn't. At that point, being too weak to pry, she could only yield to his secrets. "Jess, whatever you know, I trust you kept it because you cared."  
  
His eyes widened at that. Watching as her face turned to his, the man tried desperately to find words. None would come. And Lexa saw it all on his face.  
  
"Adam knew this would happen, didn't he?"  
  
The blonde looked away, hoping the pause would give him an explanation. "Yeah. I confronted him about it a few days ago."  
  
"Does Brennen?"  
  
"No,,,No, he doesn't."  
  
The brunette resumed her facing the wall. "That's probably a good thing."  
  
"Lex, I will see to it that Adam saves your baby. I promise."  
  
Her eyes closed at the very thought of focusing back on his hold. "Thanks, Jess. But, I won't hold you to it."  
  
Another hour passed before Shalimar moved from her space. She stood behind Brennen, running a small hand over his shoulder. He didn't move. For the second time that day, she felt rejected by him. The first had been in the hallway, when he sent her to the lab, so he could deal with Lexa. She knew he didn't mean it to be, so distancing. But the woman couldn't help how she felt. Come on, Shal. She reminded herself. You two had the most wonderful moment. Now, he just needs you to be there. Stop being selfish.  
  
But it wasn't her human side that was being unreasonable. Her feral had marked him long ago, and that side not only saw Lexa but her baby as a threat. Even now, as she looked past her love and into the small medic- unit, the tiny life breathing so hard only agitated her. She did care for Amber - she was Brennen's daughter. But she was also Lexa's, and though her heart of hearts knew it wasn't by their choice, she felt cheated on. Violated. And ferals didn't take violation so well.  
  
"Shall." The elemental whispered when finally looking up from his child.  
  
"Yeah," she tried to grin.  
  
"Would you go check on Lex, for me? I'll be okay."  
  
The dark eyes of her love had her heart breaking. "Sure. Do you need anything?"  
  
"No. Just check on her."  
  
She could tell he wanted to be alone, if just to talk with the child or breakdown. And she understood, kissing his cheek softly before leaving. Just steps outside the hallway, she saw her newest teammate curled up weakly in Jesse's arms. Freezing in her place, which brought on a new kind of distaste. Defensiveness.  
  
"Lexa." The blonde asked, stepping towards them slowly. "Do you need anything?"  
  
The brunette only looked at her. And that looked had made the feral feel more naked than she'd been with Brennen. Lexa turned back to the wall. "No."  
  
"Jess, why don't you go get her some water. I'll sit with her." Caught between the underlying tome of his sister, and the neediness of the woman he wanted. Jesse looked down at Lexa. She nodded her okay, and let him leave.  
  
Shalimar stepped forward slowly, watching the woman sit up. Her arms folded in thought. "Are you sure you don't-"  
  
"Cut it, Shalimar."  
  
The blonde paused; making sure her ears heard what they did. "Excuse me?"  
  
"You heard me. You don't have to play games anymore."  
  
"Lexa, what are you talking about?"  
  
The brunette rolled her eyes before continuing. "The act. These last few days. I've seen how you look at my daughter."  
  
"Okay, I thought we already had this talk." Shalimar replied.  
  
"I did. Evidently you didn't listen." The feral in Shalimar's eyes dared to glow. But she held back. Lexa was a distraught woman. "I told you my child was no threat to you and Brennen. You knew that this situation wasn't one we could control. And you still have resentment towards my daughter."  
  
"Okay, I'm gonna leave, cause you are upset. I don't want you to say anything you'll regret."  
  
"Shit! Shalimar! I've SEEN how you look at her. The faces you make when he's with her! I can't believe I even let you hold my fuckin' child!"  
  
"You need to calm down!"  
  
"And you need to stop lying! You resent my daughter because she's not yours and Brennen's. She's in there fighting for her life and you don't give a damn."  
  
"That's not true, Lexa."  
  
"Then tell me," the brunette began. "Tell me that from the moment you found out who her parents were, you were okay with it."  
  
"Of course I wasn't okay with it!" The feral yelled.  
  
"I bet."  
  
"But that was at first. We all had to adjust to the idea of,,," The brokenness of her words only prolonged the situation. "The idea of it all."  
  
"You can't even say it." Lexa spat. "You can't say out of your own mouth that Brennen and I have a child together."  
  
"Lexa," Shalimar nearly growled in warning. "Stop it."  
  
"When you stop lying. Don't come in my face acting like you're okay with my daughter! At least be honest about it!"  
  
"You want honest." The feral replied. "You want honest. Let me be 'honest'. 'Honest' is seeing Jesse's heartbreak when he found out Brennen was the father! 'Honest' is watching you and the man I love, two people who normally hate each other, bond over the one thing I'd die to give him. When you found out, you didn't want to believe he was Amber's father! You and he play house over that brat like nothing else matters, and we're all okay with it! And I'm not! 'You' have a 'baby', a life with the man I love! YOU! Lexa Pierce! You've been nothing but a bitch since you got here. Then this kid comes along and you act like everything's okay. Brennen plays daddy and you just erase all the tension you've caused. So you're right. I'm not happy about 'that baby' being here or being yours." Shalimar paused feeling how red her face had become. "Are you happy now?"  
  
Lexa stood, arms folded. Her ice blue eyes blazed through the strands of brunette hair falling on her face. "Ecstatic." She replied sarcastically. "Feel better?"  
  
"SHALIMAR!"  
  
The feral opened her mouth only to freeze at that. His voice was the last thing she needed to hear right then. Oh God! She thought. How long has he been there?  
  
The blonde turned slowly, coming face to face with Brennen. His eyes held something she'd never seen before, and she didn't like that it was looking at her. Behind him, Adam stood silent. Neither woman had realized how loud they were till that moment. Even Jesse stood silent, having walked in on it all.  
  
"Brennen,,," the blonde replied. "Brennen, I'm-"  
  
"She's gone." He muttered.  
  
"What?" Lexa interrupted. Her ears had not heard what they did.  
  
"I did all I could," Adam started, his own words broken. "But her heart,,,it just gave out."  
  
"No,,," Lexa started before pushing past the group. Her voice became a wreck of shrieking. "NO!" Inside the lab, she dropped to her knees. Amber lay still under the smallest cloth. The monitors around her silent and cold. The brunette screamed at the top of her lungs, unable to do anything else. Jesse pushed towards the lab, purposely ignoring Adam.  
  
"Brennen,,," Shalimar started. She stepped towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Brennen, I'm so sorry."  
  
He flinched in her hold, wanting to return the embrace. But the wall was there, and her words sat fresh in his ears. "Thanks." He pulled back slowly before walking away.  
  
"Brennen!"  
  
"Leave me alone, Shal." Was all she heard. Before she realized, she was in Adam's arms crying. Her sobs running alongside Lexa's as they echoed through Sanctuary. Everything had fallen apart. 


	10. chapter 10

THAT ONE LITTLE THING  
  
BY: Sage360  
  
Brennen Mulwray sped down the highways near Sanctuary, his bike roaring ferociously in his ears. He thought if he could just go fast enough, and far enough, everything would be blocked out. His daughter would still be alive.  
  
He watched as she held on, her little stomach going up and down so quickly. And her little fingers clinched desperately to his thumb, almost seeming to beg him to stay. And he had, right by her side till the sudden flat line of the screen sent Adam running towards them. Shalimar and Lexa had been so loud that no one outside the lab could've heard. Shit! He thought. Go faster.  
  
He could smell the rubber by now, and inhaled desperately. The man wanted to choke on it. Anything that would allow him the numbness he so desperately wanted. Especially since he couldn't have who he wanted right then. Shalimar's words had stung to the depths of him. He'd understood her initial resentment. But the hatred that screamed from her towards the mother of his child,,, that was a monster he'd never seen. Faster, he thought. Go faster.  
  
Leaving the rock was all he could do. It was so in him to yell at her or break something right then, and her admissions only fueled that fire. He just needed the distance right then-from all of them. How could I get attached to something so small, so quickly he thought in reference to Amber. How could I, indeed, he thought about Shalimar.  
  
Truth be said, he really needed a punching bag, one that he could beat on till it physically lost the life inside. Realization of that slowly had the bag forming into a stocky-medium height man with piercing blue eyes. The very reason he was hurting at all. Go faster, he suddenly grinned, much faster.  
  
His dust left a trail, headed for the one place he had to go. And the one person he had to finish. Brennen knew Thorne would be waiting.  
  
On the floor of the laboratory, Jesse held the trembling Lexa Pierce. In desperation she'd lifted her child from the small unit that had held her. Realization of the clammy skin propelled the woman into another set of screams. There on the floor, weak and desperate, she held the lifeless body, unable to do anything else. Even if she had known what to do, her body wasn't able to function.  
  
Finally, Adam had come back in, and while the molecular held her by the shoulders, the doctor took the small being from her arms. Surprisingly she let go. And Adam didn't miss the look Jesse cast up at him. For now, things were too broken to be fixed.  
  
"I'm sorry, Lex." Was all he could whisper and remembering Emma's death made him realize it wasn't what she wanted to hear. After a while he lifted her in his arms, and made a slow pace towards her room. A sudden striking in him knew she only wanted to be alone.  
  
And Shalimar Fox found herself in the only place she knew to go- on the mountainside where they had the memorial for Emma. Adam's name now had a duplicitous X scratched through it. Her fingers ran along it, trembling at all reality.  
  
"I can't find Brennen." Jesse said, startling her. He stepped up behind the woman he knew as a sister, and wrapped a solemn arm around her shoulder. She immediately broke down.  
  
"The things I said," she sniffed. "I didn't know he was there."  
  
"It was just the moment, Shal. Everyone was on edge."  
  
"But I did resent, her, Jesse. I couldn't help it." The blonde leaned back on his shoulder, trembling at her thoughts. "She wasn't mine and Brennen's and I couldn't take it."  
  
'I understand." He whispered. "And Brennen does as well. This was a strange situation to be put in. Thorne knew what he was doing." And so did Adam, he added mentally.  
  
"I've lost him, Jess. We had one moment together and now it's all gone."  
  
"I don't think so, Shal. Just give him time. Then talk." Jesse replied. "I only wish I knew where he was."  
  
"He rode off on his bike. Guess he just needed air." Shalimar sniffled. Jesse brushed her hair softly; thinking on all the places his 'brother' could go. Suddenly it hit him, stinging with the most violent punch.  
  
"Lexa!" Jesse ran back into Sanctuary, followed by a confused Shalimar. Their initial steps led to her room, but the door sat wide open, and the space empty. In finality, he ran to the garage, seeing that not only Brennen's bike but Lexa'a car was gone as well. "Oh, God!' he exhaled. Shalimar came in seconds behind him.  
  
"Jess-"  
  
"Suit up!" he replied. Turning around, the man pulled her back into Sanctuary. "And make it quick!"  
  
"Jess, what is it!" Shalimar pleaded.  
  
"It's Thorne." He admitted. "We're going to Genomax." 


	11. chapter 11

THAT ONE LITTLE THING  
  
BY: SAGE360  
  
Disclaimer: Mutant X, Don't own them. Enjoy!  
  
Thanks to everyone for all thee fabulous reviews! I know I caused some tears, but I promise to make up for it. So, have a good New Year and don't cause too much trouble.  
  
Thorne had proven himself a patient man. The knowing of what his creation would cause gave him ample time to get ready. Mutant X would come to visit him soon. He couldn't wait.  
  
Even now, his screens caught sight of the large Harley Davidson pulling into the Genomax garage. Thorne's blue eyes danced at the possibilities. Nearly in his grip was the one person he dreamed of destroying. "Just nearly." He whispered.  
  
"I owe you one."  
  
Before he could turn, the blast hit his shoulder, sending the man flying into his desk. Smoke curled around him, stinging his eyes and mouth. Thorne sat up, focusing to activate his powers. The sight before him made him pause. "Lexa Pierce."  
  
The brunette stood in the doorway, arms folded over the sleek curves of her long duster. But as meticulous as she looked, all thee evidence was there. Her eyes sat puffy and red, and her normally beautiful face, pale. Thorne's mouth twitched in belief. His plan had worked. "Ms. Pierce, I am sorry for your lo-"  
  
"Shut up." She snapped. In a gesture similar to Brennen's, her hands conjured the most intense ball of energy, it glowed a fiery orange red, pulsating with the very anger of her being. The color begged to emulate her daughter's name.  
  
Thorne stood, adjusting his suit egotistically before her. His fingers twitched before they rose to his left temple. Lexa stepped forward, and in the quickest moment, they both let go.  
  
The Helix soared over the downtown skyline. In it, Jesse, Shalimar and a very nervous Adam sat anticipating their destination. The molecular found no ability to look upon the man he called a father. Even though, in his heart of hearts, he knew Adam had done all he could to save the baby. The man sighed, their reconciliation wasn't exactly a priority right then.  
  
"God," Shalimar whispered. "The tracker shows that Lexa' already in Genomax."  
  
Jesse rolled his eyes. "What can I say, she does have 'connections'."  
  
"How long before we get there?"  
  
"Any moment." He replied. "Adam, is there anything we need to know before we go in?" The question had been more of a demand, causing the doctor to raise his head in shock. Jesse still didn't look at him. "Adam?"  
  
"No, son." He could see the molecular flinch. "No."  
  
Shalimar's lips curled in anticipation. "Then let's go."  
  
In stealth mode, the plane raced towards Geneomax and inside three members on Mutant X secretly prayed. Naxcon was raining on them al over again.  
  
He'd seen the blast when coming around the corner. Dark eyes narrowed at the intense heat vibrating from Thorne's office. Debris spit forward, like a bitter taste, settling on the lobby floor and as far back as the elevators. Curling smoke preceded the most terrible moans.  
  
Thorne could feel the blood rushing from his head. And in his mouth, he tasted the new craters formed by several now absent teeth. "Damn that bitch," he muttered. "Pierce always had speed, I'll give her that."  
  
Partially beneath the rubble of his once stellar workplace, the man pulled himself forward. He could feel the broken ribs, and the bruised swelling on his face. Around him, small fires blazed on broken wood and other materials. All he had to do was get to the door.  
  
But his vision was blurry, and only relying on his hearing gave way to the sounds of footsteps coming towards him. They were too heavy to be Pierce's high heels or dress shoes. He exhaled in anticipation of his guards. "Here," he managed. "Over here."  
  
The blow to his back made him scream like a girl. Fingers gripped his head, pulling him backwards, and causing water to spill from his eyes. "Thanks for the warning." Lexa leaned over him, small fingers wrapped tightly around his neck. "Everything you taught me, huh, Thorne?" Her grip started the most beautiful shade of purple on his neck. "Everything you bolted into me with electroshock and the pods. Everything you did to make me Mason's perfect killer. All came back at you like a bitch!" The man was turning blue beneath her. Lexa tightened her grip again, forcing his back into the most shattering curve. "I know you made this too easy, so tell me what you're really up to. What else are you hiding?"  
  
His contorted face pulled the most secretive smirk. "You'll see. I'll be laughing at you from hell, Ms. Pierce."  
  
"I'll be glad to drop you off." Her fingers tightened, ready to push the man over his edge. The vein in his throat swelled for oxygen, begging with the tightest pain. He readied himself to die.  
  
But she let go, and violently his head fell forward, hitting a broken table with blunt force. If he could have screamed, he would have. But his voice suddenly found itself absent. The slim hips and thighs once sitting on his spine, pulled back, allowing him to slump forward. But he knew better, Lexa wasn't giving up.  
  
Something was seriously wrong.  
  
And that something gripped the short strands of his hair, beginning a tortured descent to pull him off the ground. A second, much larger hand wrapped around his neck, Freeing the other. Thorne's ears picked up the intense buzzing. Through is one open eye, he froze and came face to face with Brennen Mulwray. Lexa had made sure to deliver him into hell. 


	12. chapter 12

THAT ONE LITTLE THING!  
  
By: SAGE360  
  
Disclaimer: Mutant X, don't own them. Enjoy!  
  
Shalimar lunged a foot into the guards face, before spinning to hit another. Behind her, Jesse and Adam were at work as well. Both pummeled into the men running towards them. And as much as she worried about Brennen, she had to focus.  
  
Between busting up on Genomax security, she made sure to keep an eye on Jesse. He'd never fought with such anger before, and even now his executions seemed dangerously smooth, reminding her again of the dark- haired man in her heart. They roared into the oncoming men, breaking electro-shock sticks, and pushing taser gloves into their owners sides with blinding pace. Another five minutes and they had to head upstairs. She had to find him soon.  
  
Brennen Mulwray was going off the rails, and using Thorne's head to do it. He'd said nothing as the man grinned at him, and only planned to keep him alive a little longer. That way, he could suffer more. This punching bag thing is great! He thought. The elemental punched the man, square in his face. The sound of bones breaking nearly brought a laugh. From his martial arts training, he new that if you broke the nose a certain way, then shattered the chin upwards, it would push the shattered material into the brain, killing the person instantly. That would be too easy with Thorne.  
  
In his mind, he remembered the first time Thorne had ran from him, the day he met Shalimar. It was all the one two of that very same moment. He'd escaped his captor and fell in love, all in one rush of adrenaline -all so distant from his now breaking heart.  
  
"I'll make you break!" he muttered before slamming the man into a wall, his blood sent sparse streaks along its white canvas. Another fist slammed into his stomach. "She lived a week, Thorne. One fuckin' week!" The elemental could hear Lexa' steps behind him, and knew she wouldn't interfere. In fact, she was enjoying the show. "You knew that though, didn't you? DIDN'T You!"  
  
The broken man swallowed hard, his entire being hurt. But his eyes gleamed in laughter. The whisper of a voice pushed through his lips. "Ask Adam."  
  
To his surprise, the elemental smiled. Grabbing the man by his collar, he slammed him into the wall again, before dragging him down the stairs. "Alright then. We will."  
  
They were headed towards the lab from both directions. From below, three looking for a strange sliver of redemption ran upwards. From above, two broken parents bent on justice flew head first into hell. Along with them, their daughter's creator and imminent murderer, dragged like baggage. In each mind, a pure thread of emotion bled. One wanted forgiveness from her love. One wanted absolute justice for his. One wanted vengeance for his daughter, and one wanted deliverance from the life she'd sworn would never touch her child. The 'father' of them all secretly prayed for their mortal souls.  
  
Bust through the stairwell door, Brennen kept a tight grip on the back of Thorne's neck. Behind him Lexa stayed quiet, watching out for any impending guards. What they got were the other members of their team.  
  
Shalimar froze at the sight of Thorne. Broken and limp, he hung like a dirty rag in Brennen's hand. Blood laced the expensive leather sleeve of the elemental's favorite brown duster. Behind her Jesse stood with wide eyes, when moving from Brennen, he saw Lexa. Her long leather coat covered in a sporadic dust that also clung to her ebony brown hair. She was no longer crying, and that sent the most dangerous chord through his spine. Neither could speak as Adam stepped forward.  
  
"Brennen, you're going to kill him!"  
  
"I know."  
  
The older man could have crumbled from all thee decay his work caused. Thorne was barely holding on and getting weaker by the minute. "Brennen, you and Lexa can't do this. It will make you just as wrong as him."  
  
"You mean just as wrong as you." The man spat. "Two times, Adam! First Emma, and now Amber! Two time you let go."  
  
"That's not true! I did all I could." The man was now moments from the elemental's face -a dangerous place to be if you were Adam Kane.  
  
"Part of me actually believes you." Brennen replied. But his grip tightened on Thorne. "But right now, that part isn't home."  
  
"Lexa." Adam pleaded. "Don't do this. It'll bring you no solace."  
  
"He said you were hiding something." She managed, nearly surprised at hearing her own voice. "Stop the secrets Adam. You owe us that much."  
  
The man looked back at his other children, who now knew they weren't his first. That had been Lexa and her brother, Leo. But they all were priceless to him, and no matter the sins he committed, they would all be his redemption. "When Genomax took me, they were working on a sequence to clone new mutants. Obviously, Eckhart had managed to get samples from your entire DNA, by use of the sub-dermal governors. Everytime one was injected, the action recorded the DNA, sending it to the Genomax computers and mine."  
  
"Adam." Shalimar managed. "What are you saying?"  
  
"When they took me from Naxcon, I was forced to work on the sequencing project. Eckhart had only one goal in mind, and when he died, Thorne took it over. His only adjustment was that we test it out on Brennen and Lexa."  
  
"His ultimate revenge." Jesse exhaled. "So Amber wasn't the prime subject."  
  
"No, she wasn't." The man lowered his head. "She was only a test."  
  
"A test!" Lexa lunged forward, pounding on the man's chest. "My daughter was a prototype for your plans! You knew she wouldn't live you bastard! You knew!" Adam managed her away, but it was the look on Brennen's face that froze him.  
  
"All Thorne wanted was his revenge. The rest would go on as planned. If Amber survived," that caused the sickest shudder between all the teammates. Adam felt his heart crumbling. "Then we'd do one more test subject before the initial person."  
  
"And they were?" Shalimar spat.  
  
"First Gabriel Ashlock, then,,,,Emma Delauro."  
  
The feral's hand found itself slamming into his cheek, the crack resignating around the cavernous building in a defiant echo. "You bastard."  
  
"Tell, us you're lying." Jesse fumed.  
  
Adam's head again lowered, allowing the admission to ring true. "I'm sorry, I can't. Genomax wanted to use them as super weapons. From them, we'd created a race of Mutants defiant of their wild mutations."  
  
"We," Jesse interrupted, coming face to face with the man. "You took some sick thrill in all of this."  
  
"If it meant finding a way to save you from your mutations, I would walk through fire."  
  
"Already did it." Brennen replied. "You just dropped Emma, to make sure you got across." With that, his grip released from Thorne's neck. The man crumbled, partially pulling himself to the nearby corner. This was worth the show after all.  
  
Adam stood in the center of his broken team. Shalimar, Brennen, Lexa and Jesse. And somewhere in the recesses of his heart, Emma wept. " I only wanted to save you."  
  
"You only wanted to play God." Lexa snapped. "First Leo, then Emma, and now Amber. You still have no excuse for putting us through that. You claim to know what it is to lose a child." Her words reminded him of Emma and Leo.  
  
"I did what I thought was best."  
  
"Best doesn't always mean right." Jesse muttered. "You were willing to bring back Ashlocke just as an experiment. Were you not there when he combusted in the lab? I sure as hell thought you were!"  
  
"I was, Jesse! And I knew what I was doing, but Genomax gave me no choice! It was that or die!"  
  
"Then you should've fuckin' croaked." Brennen muttered. It was then that Shalimar's nose picked up on that familiar scent.  
  
"Agents, and lots of 'em. Coming from both directions."  
  
"Let's bail!" Brennen yelled. Before he could turn a single shot blazed past him hitting the wall. How could he have missed that?  
  
The crumpled man raised the weapon shakily. Noting the gathering formation of Mutant X. Jesse was coming forward. "Change of plans." Thorne muttered. "I'm going to hell, and taking you with me." With that, his finger released the trigger, and all the team ducked, save the molecular. He lunged forward, deflecting the bullet, and pounding the man into the wall. His massed fist squarely crushed the already broken chest, killing the man instantly. Thorne fell like trash at his feet.  
  
"They're coming!" Shalimar yelled. The group gathered, pushing towards the stairs. "The roof! The Helix is in stealth!"  
  
They pushed into the exit way, suddenly realizing again they were one person short. Adam had left them for the second time. Shalimar kept looking back for her 'father' but it was to no avail. Realization hit her that he didn't want to be found. Thee large hand on her shoulder, kept her going.  
  
"Let's go." Brennen whispered. With that, she pushed forward following the man she loved towards thee roof, and into their future. 


	13. chapter 13

THAT ONE LITTLE THING  
  
By: Sage360  
  
Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!  
  
They all had been quiet when returning to Sanctuary. The moment had been all too blunt: Adam was gone-again. Despite his ethical dilemmas, there had been a strange peace of mind that came back with the man. The Mutant X squad though cynical, managed to relish in it briefly- all except for Lexa.  
  
Just hours out of the Helix (And a much needed shower), she found herself in the oddest of all places - Emma's memorial. Manicured nails traced the name of the woman she'd just missed knowing in life, repeating the same with Adam's crossed out title as well. The woman couldn't figure what had propelled her to it, except the blank space below her 'father's' name. It was the space meant for her daughter.  
  
Having forgotten to bring out a jacket, she folded her arms against the cold wind. And with closed eyes, she finally said good-bye to Amber. Her child was in a better place, with Emma there to protect her.  
  
Finally descending from the rocky slope, her dark sundress caught the palest shade of sunlight, making the woman seem more innocent than her harsh years would indicate. And through his damp blonde locks, azure eyes gazed on her in quiet contemplation. If she needed to talk, she'd come to him. He walked away from the window, and headed to his room. It was only a matter of time.  
  
But Lexa couldn't enter Sanctuary, not just yet. Absent steps took her down towards the jagged coast, past the tan bluffs of Storm King.  
  
Shalimar was waiting.  
  
Still in her leather duster, the feral didn't have to look to see her teammate. "He's not coming back, is he?" she asked referring to Adam.  
  
"I doubt it." She exhaled. "Adam's chasing his own demons now." The brunette didn't miss the sniffle from the feral's nose. Everything in her said hold back- of course that didn't work.  
  
"I want to hate you so much." Shalimar admitted. "So much,,, but I can't. I keep thinking how I would be in your shoes; how you would feel in mine." The blonde head lowered, her waves fluttering wildly in the wind. "I'm scared at how easy it is to understand."  
  
"Shalimar," the brunette exhaled. Her damn walls collapsed easily, too easily for her cynical side. "Shal, I'm sorry." She surprised herself and the feral by draping a slender arm around her shoulder. Shalimar surprised her by hugging back. "I've always held back my feelings. And with losing," Her lips trembled at the admittance. " With losing my daughter, it seemed easiest to lash out at you."  
  
"Wow," The smaller woman smirked. "Lexa Pierce admits she's wrong? Pigs are flying somewhere."  
  
"Enjoy it while you can. You won't see it too often."  
  
The women were silent fro several minutes, still embraced on the cliff. Though strange, it seemed inevitable all at the same time. By association, Adam indirectly made them sisters. And both knew that siblings got along buy not getting along. Not much needed to change.  
  
"Well," the feral finally pulled back. "I am sorry for your loss. I did love Amber."  
  
"I know you did." Lexa admitted. "You wouldn't have gone to Genomax if you didn't." Shalimar silently admitted that part of her wanted to see Thorne pay for his actions, but even in her feral aggressions, she would have never held her rage in the composure that Lexa did. The kitty in her didn't allow for such patience. "It's getting cold."  
  
"Um,,,yeah." Shalimar replied. "We should go inside." With that she moved to walk away, leaving Lexa alone with her thoughts- and ideas on where she'd end up next.  
  
Even though stretched out on his bed, he wasn't sleeping. And his nerves could feel the presence in his room. Been around Shal too long, he thought groggily. But that 'presence' was closing in, and dangerous in the most desirable of ways. It stood at the edge of his bed, waiting to be acknowledged.  
  
Without looking, Jesse reached a hand from behind his head towards Lexa. She complied easily, crawling over the tan covers to curl at his side. They fit a little too easily into each other's arms, giving way to initiating warmth, undeniable by any of their senses. Her voice was a whisper on the curve of his neck. "I knew you were awake."  
  
The man grinned and with still-closed eyes, tightened his arm around her. "Psychic, are we?"  
  
"Nope, just a woman. And women are always right."  
  
"No male bashing in my bed." He chuckled at her. The chills of the weather began to fade from her skin, due to his fingers absently stroking her arm. The woman closed her eyes, finding a perfect peace in the feel of him.  
  
"Thanks, for everything,,," She whispered. "I know this was tough on you."  
  
"No tougher than it was on Shalimar." He admitted. But it had been tough. Seeing her with Brennen's child created a streak in him not felt since their fights at Hillview (Hard Times, Season Two). He'd wanted to crush someone - anyone into pieces. That made him thankful for delivering Thorne's fatal blow.  
  
"Will you ever reconcile with Adam?"  
  
"Will you?" He returned, finally opening his eyes. "I couldn't say, and it depends on if we ever see him again."  
  
"I told Shalimar that I doubted if he'd come back."  
  
"He won't." Jesse replied. "But those are two different things. We will see him again, in his own time." Part of him held on to it. Deep down, the molecular knew that his 'father' was out there, watching them, and ready to make things right. It was his children who quite weren't.  
  
"Jess."  
  
His eyes turned down to Lexa, watching as she stared at him. For the first time, he saw the protected innocence in them. It was something she held onto with all she had. "Yeah."  
  
"You enjoyed killing Thorne."  
  
"You are psychic." His lips curled, nearly causing the man to look feral. "I didn't enjoy it, like you mean. One of us would have done it." Now both pairs of eyes connected, casting their signature blues at each other. Jesse's fingers had a mind of their own, and began stroking the midnight hair. "Protecting the team only gave me the excuse to do it."  
  
Lexa knew that by 'team' he meant her. She readjusted, curling back into his muscular arm. And somehow, between her fingers stroking his stubbled jaw, and their lips finally meeting, Lexa Pierce came to terms with her struggles. In the arms of this one man, she could endure anything.  
  
But enduring water was what made Brenneen weak.  
  
He couldn't say how long he'd been in the shower, but the cold water had long since kicked in. He'd been numb, lost in the racing of his actions. The past few hours allotted him a lifetime of struggle, all because of one little thing. Amber Mulwray.  
  
He pulled from the shower, and not caring to dry off, wrapped a large towel around his waist. Pushing a hand through his wet hair, he walked back into his room, coming face to face with Shalimar.  
  
She had been waiting for him, and stood near the doorway, wrapped in a long black Kimono and fresh from her own shower. No matter how torn he was, the man in him couldn't help but to look at her.  
  
And he was just as stunning to her. Tall, sculpted and tan, Brennen cast the most entrancing sight. The water rolled from his shoulders in sporadic drops, nearly driving her insane. Stop being horny, she cursed at herself. He just lost his kid!  
  
Brennen sat down on the edge of his bed, and resting elbows to knees, hands covered his face in a tired exhale. Shalimar could see the stress running in his curved shoulders and finally stepped forward, moving till she was directly in front of him. But she had to wait. As much as she wanted to touch him, hold him, and destroy his fears, he had to reach out to her first.  
  
It didn't take long at all.  
  
With one slow gesture, Brennen took her hand, and pulled the feral to him. She exhaled as long arms wrapped around her waist, or more so her hips. His head, wet hair and all leaned into her chest, completing the needy embrace. Shalimar folded, lacing his shoulders with her small limbs, she leaned her head onto his. "I'm sorry,,," she whispered.  
  
"Me too." He replied. "I didn't know how much this hurt you."  
  
"My feelings were shallow." She admitted. And it was true. But they were honest and thus, justified.  
  
"You couldn't help how you felt, Shal. I can understand that."  
  
Her lips brushed the back of his head. "But I still hurt you. As much as you mean to me,,, I held so much hate. And she was innocent."  
  
"I know you cared. How many times did you sit up with me when Amber cried? Or when I first had to change her?" She couldn't help but giggle when remembering the child ruining one of Brennen's favorite shirts. He was near tears, and she, from laughing so hard, fell off the bed. Shalimar closed her eyes at the memories. "I can see how violated you felt."  
  
"No, just jealous." She replied. " And honest at the worst possible time. Brennen, I loved Amber like she was my own. It was the situation I hated." Her fingers brushed the dampening hair in thought. "I guess Thorne planned it that way."  
  
"Thorne,,," The elemental mumbled. His eyes had told him Jesse killed the man, but his mind still didn't register. "I get sick of people playing God with us. Thorne, Eckhart-"  
  
"Adam."  
  
Brennen pulled back slightly, looking up at the woman, before his head returned to her chest. "Yeah, Adam."  
  
"Brennen, for what its worth, he did what he could."  
  
"I know." He whispered. But the sight of his daughter hooked up to the monitor would never leave him. Not till his dying day. "Shal, I didn't mean to push you away, when we were in the hallway with Lex. I just thought it'd be better if I was with her." Now, he was looking up at her. The brown of his eyes were wide pools of honesty. Shalimar pressed her forehead to his.  
  
"You were right. I just felt,,,rejected. Especially after what happened between us." She could see the smile he barely attempted to hide, at remembering their encounter. "It was just the emotions." Brennen pulled her into his lap, the fabric of her robe catching more of the dampness from his body. Shalimar wrapped an arm around him, letting his head lean on her shoulder. "Are we okay, Brennen?" she asked.  
  
"You and me? Yeah, we're good. IF you're not mad at me."  
  
"You'll make it up in the dojo." She grinned before their lips met. The woman knew that he'd grieve in his own time and way. "I owe you an ass- kicking anyway."  
  
His brow curled dangerously before flinging the blonde back onto his bed. Shalimar looked up, seeing the danger in his eyes, and too easily gave in. "I'll make it up to you right now,,," 


	14. chapter 14

That One Little Thing  
  
Sage360  
  
Disclaimer: M-X, Don't own them. Enjoy!  
  
Thanks to everyone who has kept up with this story. As with SCENES, I have to finish this one so I can finally wrap up CLUBLIGHTS. But I have a new idea that I am working on. So, keep reviewing and keep in touch. Also e- mail me if there's anything you would like to see me write or if you'd like to co-author something. Enjoy!  
  
The next day, they buried Amber. As with Emma, the ceremony was quiet, more contemplative than anything. Shalimar and Jesse stood back as their teammates, at dawn, paid final respects to their daughter. Brennen lowered the small casket into the ground; above it a fresh name sat etched into the Mutant X memorial.  
  
"I don't think I'll ever get used to this." Shalimar whispered, while wrapped under her 'brother's' arm. "I'll never get used to losing people."  
  
Jesse exhaled against the cold morning. "Neither will I, Shal." He watched as Lexa cast a single flower onto the small box before it was covered with earth. It no longer was in her to cry. As for Brennen, he didn't quite know how to, so Shalimar did it for him. "We should give them some time."  
  
With that, they began to descend from the cliff, leaving Brennen and Lexa to their silence. Both stood unable to start their words. The elemental looked at his teammate, wind causing her hair to blow past her face in long dark curves. Only then did it dawn on him how much their daughter looked like her. The what-ifs sat in, casting despair on his heart. His hand reached out, gently grabbing her shoulder. Almost instantly, she walked into his arms.  
  
"We'll get through this." He whispered, while stroking the dark hair. The brunette leaned on his shoulder, knowing she'd crumble if she moved. "I just hope you forgive me."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"I promised you nothing would happen to her,,," his words broke faintly, leaving the man unable to finish his sentence. Lexa wrapped her arms tighter around him.  
  
"I didn't hold you to it." She replied. "This was something we couldn't control."  
  
"You stood by me." Brennen admitted.  
"You too." The brunette replied. "It was a fun ride, huh?" They laughed softly, watching the sun invade a new sky.  
  
"Lex, I-"  
  
His words were cut off at the finger touching his lips. Brennen grew still, surprised as she kissed him on the cheek. "No words," she asked. "No words, and no apologies. You were a good father."  
  
He surprised himself by smiling at her. "You were a good mom - to be Lexa Pierce."  
  
"Funny, Sparky." Her eyes rolled in humor before she pulled back from the man. "You promised me that Genomax would never touch her, and you delivered. She had a full life with us."  
  
"Yeah," he added. "And a lot of love." Seeing his teammate smile set a striking calm into him. "Spoiled kid."  
  
"SO spoiled! And it was ALL your fault. The crib, the toys, the baby motorcycle she couldn't even ride!"  
  
"She would have." Brennen defended light-heartedly. Realization that he now had to remove those things suddenly struck. They wouldn't go just yet. "We should go."  
  
As they turned to leave, he caught her in a hug one last time. The mere need to feel the mother of his child flooded Brennen. Hanging on with all she could, Lexa guided him just as he had done with her the day before. Finally descending from the cliff, Shalimar and Jesse stood waiting, embracing the two with warm quilts and coffee. Lexa smiled to herself, and at last was thankful. After so long, she finally had family. 


End file.
